LiveHelpNowShopify InboxLiveHelpNow vs Shopify Inbox

LiveHelpNow vs Shopify Inbox: $295 or $0 for five people

A help desk and live chat against a free chat for Shopify stores: Shopify Inbox is $295 a month cheaper for five people. What decides between LiveHelpNow and Shopify Inbox, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

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The short answer

Pick LiveHelpNow if you want the knowledge base and chat to be the same product from day one. Pick Shopify Inbox if you run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view. For five people, Shopify Inbox is $295 a month cheaper than LiveHelpNow ($295 a month on LiveHelpNow against $0 on Shopify Inbox), before AI. Sellio Mini is $45, which only Shopify Inbox's figure comes under. LiveHelpNow and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. A team of two to ten choosing between LiveHelpNow and Shopify Inbox for chat and tickets at one price has a third option below.

At a glanceLiveHelpNowLiveHelpNowShopify InboxShopify Inbox
Built aroundChat and a knowledge base · tickets on the middle planThe storefront chat · free with a Shopify plan
Entry plan$39/agent/mo · Essential$0 · with any Shopify plan
Chat in the price$39/agent/mo · chat on every plan$0 · storefront and Shop app
AI agentFrom $99/mo · Knowledge AI; conversational AI from $499Included · AI chat from the catalog and policies
Copilot for agentsIncluded · AI Agent AssistIncluded · suggested replies
Free planNone · no trial printedYes · the app is free

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    As a chat or a knowledge base search; email tickets arrive on the Professional plan. Shopify Inbox has no ticket queue either.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    As a chat on the storefront or in the Shop app, with the cart and orders beside it. LiveHelpNow has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    $39 buys chat, the knowledge base and social on Essential; ticketing starts on Professional at $59. $295 for five people, against $0 on Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    There is no seat price; staff are limited by the Shopify plan's staff accounts. $0 for five people, against $295 on LiveHelpNow.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    Knowledge AI is from $99 a month for 2,000 answers; conversational AI from $499 for 1,000 conversations. Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    The AI chat learns the catalog and policies and is included; there is nothing to meter. LiveHelpNow meters AI (from $99/mo) above the seats instead.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    Chat, email tickets, SMS and social; no native WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram. The same set as Shopify Inbox.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Storefront chat and the Shop app; no email, WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram in the inbox. The same set as LiveHelpNow.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    Workforce management, call logging and a support portal. Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores instead.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Product recommendations, discount codes and order updates inside the chat. LiveHelpNow is a help desk and live chat instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow

    A day: add the chat and build the first knowledge base articles. Shopify Inbox is minutes.

    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox

    Minutes: install the app from the Shopify admin. LiveHelpNow is a day.

Sources: LiveHelpNow pricing · Shopify Inbox pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The LiveHelpNow agent dashboard: the chat queue with the knowledge base search beside it
LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow. The LiveHelpNow agent dashboard: the chat queue with the knowledge base search beside it
The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side
Shopify InboxShopify Inbox. The Shopify Inbox conversation: the chat with the customer's cart and orders on the side

Pricing references: LiveHelpNow pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); Shopify Inbox pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13). Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

LiveHelpNow, Shopify Inbox and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureLiveHelpNowLiveHelpNowShopify InboxShopify InboxSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI in monthly packs
Free with Shopify
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
None
The whole app
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
Storefront and Shop app
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Professional and up
Not offered
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
SMS only
Not offered
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Social channels
No longer connected
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Not offered
Not offered
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Knowledge AI and conversational AI
Learns the catalog
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
From $99 a month in packs
Included
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an agent
Hands to staff
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Professional and up
Chats only
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automations by plan
Instant answers, greetings
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Dashboards on Professional
Assisted orders
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser only
Admin and mobile
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick LiveHelpNow if

  • You want the knowledge base and chat to be the same product from day one.
  • AI sold in monthly answer packs suits your budgeting.
  • Time to the first reply is a day here and minutes on Shopify Inbox.
  • Its pricing model suits you better than Shopify Inbox's: per agent per month; AI sold in monthly packs of answers or conversations.

Pick Shopify Inbox if

  • You run a Shopify store and want free chat with the cart in view.
  • One channel is enough and you do not need tickets.
  • Five people cost $295 a month less than on LiveHelpNow ($0 against $295), before AI.
  • You want a free plan to start on; LiveHelpNow offers no trial.

The third option: Sellio

  • Two to ten of you answer chat, messaging and email. Compare Sellio's workspace plans with $295 a month on LiveHelpNow against $0 on Shopify Inbox for five people, including each product's limits.
  • The AI invoice should be known in advance: LiveHelpNow meters AI (from $99/mo) above the seats and Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan, where Sellio's credit is included and capped by you.
  • You need Telegram and native Windows and macOS apps, which neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

LiveHelpNow on Professional: $118, $295 and $590 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Shopify Inbox: $0 a month for five (free; five staff need the Shopify plan that allows them); it does not print a per-seat rate to extend to two or ten. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $250 less than LiveHelpNow and more than Shopify Inbox's $0 for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $495 under LiveHelpNow.

Where the two agree, and where they split

LiveHelpNow is a help desk and live chat built around chat and a knowledge base; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat. Only Shopify Inbox has a free plan (the app is free); LiveHelpNow offers no trial. LiveHelpNow and Shopify Inbox both include website chat in the price. Neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox includes email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram outright. LiveHelpNow meters AI (from $99/mo) above the seats; Shopify Inbox folds AI (included) into the plan. Neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox has a ticket queue, and neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox ships a desktop app. LiveHelpNow is a day; Shopify Inbox is minutes.

What each price leaves out

LiveHelpNow: AI Agent Assist included; Knowledge AI from $99 a month; Conversational AI from $499 a month. Shopify Inbox: AI chat and suggested replies included. Beside LiveHelpNow's from $99/mo and Shopify Inbox's included, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNowAssumed $0.5$240
    Shopify InboxShopify InboxSee vendorNot quoted
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    LiveHelpNowLiveHelpNow · None printed
    Shopify InboxShopify Inbox · Not applicable; free
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

LiveHelpNow vs Shopify Inbox: the questions people ask

LiveHelpNow is a help desk and live chat built around chat and a knowledge base; Shopify Inbox is a free chat for Shopify stores built around the storefront chat.

  • Entry plan: LiveHelpNow $39/agent/mo (Essential); Shopify Inbox $0 (with any Shopify plan).
  • Chat in the price: LiveHelpNow $39/agent/mo (chat on every plan); Shopify Inbox $0 (storefront and Shop app).
  • Sellio's inbox: email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which neither LiveHelpNow nor Shopify Inbox has outright, plus the rest of the five, on every paid plan.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside LiveHelpNow and Shopify Inbox on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

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